Carstensz Climbers Reach The Plateau

July 8, 2012

Setting up the cook tent (Jason Edwards)

Climbing out of the forest towards the Plateau (Jason Edwards)

IMG guide Dan Zokaites reports by sat phone that the team completed their third day in the forest, and that it was the toughest yet. They did 7.7 miles on the map in 9 hours of hiking, with 5000 ft gained and 2000 ft lost! At the end of the day they broke out of the forest and climbed onto the Plateau. Now that they are out of the forest the walking will get better, though it is still quite challenging terrain. The weather has been good, with no rain today. The Plateau is representative of karst topography, with many sink holes, caverns, and small streams along the way. The local porters are doing a great job the team is looking forward to their first views of the Sudirman Range and Mt. Carstensz.